River Keeper Report on Hudson River Sewage

8/6/2019 River Keeper Report on Hudson River Sewage

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- CVR-1 -

Hw Is the Wter?Sewage Contamination in the Hudson River Estuary

2006 2010


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Trac Brow, Ator ad Pricipal Researcer

Jo Lipscomb, Project Desig & Directio

2011 Rivereeper, Ic.


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Table o Contents

How Is the Water? ...................................................................................................... 3

Riverkeepers Water Quality Study ............................................................................. 9

Sewage Contamination in the Hudson River ............................................................. 13

What Now?: Improving Our Water Quality ................................................................ 33

Appendix I: Waterborne Illnesses and Human Health ................................................ 40

Appendix II: Other Pollutants in the Hudson River ..................................................... 41

Appendix III: Federal Guidelines or Enterococcus .................................................... 41Appendix IV: Sampling Site Descriptions .................................................................. 42

Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. 46

Endnotes ........................................................................................................... ...... 47

Cover Photo: Swimming in Sleepy Hollow

Hw Isthe Wter?

Sewe Ctiti iThe Hds Rier Estr

Findings rom

the Riverkeeper

Water Quality Study,

2006-2010


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Hw Isthe Wter?

Clockwise rom top let: Swimmers in the Harlem River, in the Hudson at Sleepy Hollow, on the

Coxsackie waterront, and completing the annual Swim For Lie swim across the Tappan Zee Bay

The question Riverkeeper is most oten asked when patrolling the Hudson is: How is the water?

Ater ve years o sampling, our quick answer is: Not nearly good enough.

Since the late summer o 2006, we have collected approximately 2,000 samples rom 75 set locations

throughout the 155-mile long estuary. Our water quality study has ound sewage contamination rom

New York Harbor to above the Troy dam.

Viewed as a whole, water quality in the Hudson ailed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) guidelines or sae swimming 21% o the times we sampled. That is equivalent to 1 days a

week on average.i

By comparison, water quality samples collected at beaches nationwide (including ocean, bay and

Great Lake beaches) ailed the EPA sae swimming standard 7% o the times sampled over the

same time period. ii

7%

21% 10%

93%

69%

U.S.Beaches

HudsonRiver

HudsonRiverWaterQualityvs.

Na=onwideBeachWaterQuality

Unacceptable PossibleRisk Acceptable

Figre 1: Hudson River compared with Beaches Nationwide: Percent Samples Unacceptable

But people dont swim, or kayak, or go tubing, on an average day. They get in the water at a specictime and place. And those places are spread throughout the estuary ar outnumbering the our ocial

swimming beaches designated in the estuary.

Our data clearly shows water quality varying widely location by location and day by day. Some o the

most requently contaminated sites are surprisingly close to some o the least contaminated ones. This

suggests that there are many sources o sewage contamination and that they can oten be traced to a

specic local source.

Local sources can oten be remedied with local solutions.

Acceptable meets EPA single sample guideline or sae swimming. Unacceptable ails EPA single sample

guideline or sae swimming. Possible Risk meets EPA single sample guideline but would ail geometric mean

guideline i sustained over time.


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Our ndings highlight the need to greatly reduce the amount o sewage entering the Hudson. A

requency o sewage contamination 3 times the average at beaches nationwide is not acceptable.

The rst critical step towards cleaner water is to inorm the public about the scale o the problem.

The strong response to the water quality inormation we share online, in emails and at public meetings

shows that the public is extremely interested. A large and growing constituency enjoys the river and

wants to make sure theyre swimming in the cleanest water possible.

Figre 2: Site Findings: Percent o Samples Unacceptable, Possible Risk and Acc eptable

3241

222422

3528

6550

44354741

18

6

6

1211

62028

3021

186

6853

7871

7853

61293028

3532

4176

Hudson Launch Ramp

Athens STP** Outfall

Gay's Point midchannel

Coxsackie Waterfront Park

Coeymans Landing

Castleton, Vlockie Kill

Bethlehem Launch Ramp

Island Creek/Normans Kill

Dunn Memorial Bridge

Albany Rowing Dock

Congress Street Bridge

Hudson River above Troy Lock

Mohawk River

Hudson above Mohawk River

1210

50151218

11

622

511

5048

291111

2924

11621

3537

6

1515

66

6

1132

1914

1010

11

55

82

9035

708276

8910094

7295

7918

3357

8989

6267

7894

796058

Cold Spring Harbor

Little Stony Point

Newburgh Launch Ramp

Beacon Harbor

Wappingers Creek

Marlboro Landing

Poughkeepsie Launch Ramp

Pough. drinking water intake

Norrie Point midchannel

Norrie Point Yacht Basin

Port Ewen drinking water intake

Kingston Point Beach

Kingston STP** Outfall

Kingston Public Dock

Eddyville Anchorage

Ulster Landing Beach

Tivoli Landing

Esopus Creek Entrance

Esopus Creek West

Malden Launch Ramp

Inbocht Bay

Catskill Launch Ramp

Catskill Creek, East End

Catskill Creek, First Bridge

501313

3953

2010513

3411

281314

11710

88

71015

2614

77

3426

398077

5339

738080

8740

7566

8052

74

Gowanus Canal

The Battery midchannel

East River midchannel 23rd St.

Newtown Creek, Dutch Kills

Newtown Creek, Metro. Bridge

East River at Roosevelt Island

Castle Point, NJ

Pier 96 Kayak Launch

79th St. midchannel

125th St. Pier

125th St. STP** Outfall

Harlem River, Willis Ave. Bridge

GW Bridge midchannel

Harlem River, Wash. Ave. Bridge

Dyckman St. Beach

% Unacceptable % Possible Risk % Acceptable

446

5053

8656

71523

10

310

244410

916

95

1612

511

25

2614

710

10

7

215

9141

8595

3435

933

9080

5276

938780

10069

9675

85

Yonkers STP** Outfall

Saw Mill River

Yonkers midchannel

Irvington Beach

Piermont STP** Outfall

Piermont Pier

Sparkill Creek

Tarrytown Marina

Tappan Zee Bridge midchannel

Kingsland Pt., Pocantico River

Nyack Launch Ramp

Ossining Beach

Croton Point Beach

Haverstraw Bay midchannel

Furnace Brook

Emeline Beach

Cedar Pond Brook

Stony Point midchannel

Peekskill Riverfront Green Park

Annesville Creek

11

11

8989

Fort Montgomery

West Point STP** Outfall

* Sparkill Creek is an inland site that is sampled more requently

** STP = Sewage Treatment Plant

Riverkeepers 75 Standard Sampling Sites

*

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HElpful TERmInology

Elet: The outowing mixture o

water and waste rom a treatment plant,sewer, or outall into a body o water.

Eterococcs (Etero): A sewage

indicating bacterium that lives in the

intestines o humans. See Appendix

III or inormation on how Entero is

used to assess water quality.

Geometric mea: A method or

analyzing bacterial concentrations

that dampens the eect o very high

or very low values.

Patoges: Any disease-causing

microbe.

Predictive models: Creating a

model to predict the probability o

an outcome.

Tribtaries (tribs): A stream or river

that ows into a main stem, or primary

downstream portion, o a river.

Tributaries do not ow directly into

the ocean.

Trbidit: A measure o thesuspended solids in a solution, and

an indicator o water quality.

Microbe/Microorgaism (microbial):

A microscopic organism, such as a

bacterium, not easily observed with-

out the aid o a microscope unless it

occurs in a large colony consisting o

many cells.

Sewage idicator: Any element that

points to an input o sewage into a

body o water.

Wastewater: Water that has been

mixed with waste due to anthropo-

genic activity.

Watersed: The geographical area

drained by a river and all o its tributaries.

In this report, we share some o the patterns

we are seeing in Hudson River water quality,

highlight examples o sewage contamination,

and call or specic actions that can help

clean up the river we love.

Swibiit

Clean water has been and always will be an

issue o great importance to the public. The

Clean Water Act o 1972 was the result o

public outrage over declining water quality.

Since then, investments in our local wastewater

inrastructure have gone a long way towards

cleaning up our river. The Hudson River has

undergone a renaissance as a destination or

recreation, tourism and water sports.While there are only our ocial swimming

beaches on the Hudson, a New York State

survey rom 2000 conrms that the river has

more than 100 unocial sites.iii From our

patrol boat we see people in the water along

all 155 miles rom NY Harbor to Troy.

So what determines whether water quality is

sae? There are a number o actors such as cur-

rents, temperature, underwater hazards, turbidity

and pollution. One o the most important

actors is pollution rom raw or partiallytreated sewage, which can carry disease-causing

pathogens and parasites.

According to a report rom the Natural

Resources Deense Council, in 2009

seventy-our percent o beach closings and

advisories were due to high levels o sewage

contamination.iv That number has been rising

as our population continues to grow and our

wastewater inrastructure ails to keep pace

with increasing demand.v

Each year more than 860 billion gallons oraw or partially treated sewage are dumped into

U.S. waterways.vi New York City alone dumps

27 billion gallons o combined sewage and

wastewater into its harbor each year.vii

[For inormation on waterborne pathogens and

their health eects, see Appendix I.]

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y Ct me Wht y Dt mesre

There is little testing, or modeling and prediction, or sewage contamination in the Hudson River Estuary.

Beore Riverkeepers study, there was no regular testing or sewage contamination that crossed

county lines. While we collect eight samples a year at most stations, thats not requently enough totell the public where and when its sae to swim. Our study has begun to uncover important patterns

in water quality, but its most important nding may be the need or regular water quality monitoring

o the Hudson.

O the ten counties on the estuary, only our test or sewage contamination at their shorelines, and

that testing is limited in scope and requency.viii None o these report their ndings to the public.

New York City has been collecting water quality data on New York Harbor since 1909. This record

shows that over time, investments in NYCs wastewater inrastructure has led to improved water

quality in New York Harbor. The NYC Department o Environmental Protection (DEP) publishes

its ndings once a year in the orm o an annual report, but the raw data is not easily available

and reports are only available ater a delay o a year or two. ix

Despite this lack o critical data, the Department o Environmental Conservation (DEC) has

classied Hudson River waters rom north o the Bronx Borough line all the way to the northern

end o Columbia County as acceptable or swimming.

The Clean Water Act mandated that the waters o the United States be swimmable and shable by

1983 and that there be zero discharge o pollutants in our nations waterways by 1985. New York

State also set clean water goals, including that the Hudson River be swimmable by 2009. When that

date passed, the state set a new goal or a swimmable Hudson by 2020, except ollowing rainstorms.

As a nation and as New Yorkers we have ailed terribly to meet these goals. A critical step

towards eliminating pollution sources is establishing a consistent and appropriate system or

water quality testing.

It is very important to set national and local clean water goals. Its more important to achieve them.A critical step towards attaining our water quality goals is establishing a consistent and appropriate

system or water quality testing. Without water quality data, pollution sources and impacts cannot

be identied.

You cant manage what you dont measure.

[For other Hudson River pollutants see Appendix II.]

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Figre 3: NY State Water Classiication and County Water Quality Testing

ALBANY

COUNTY

NO TESTING

RENSSELAER

COUNTY

NO TESTING

GREENE COUNTY

NO TESTING

COLUMBIACOUNTY

NO TESTING

ORANGE COUNTY

NO TESTING

COLUMBIA COUNTY

NO TESTING

ULSTER

COUNTY

TESTINGDUTCHESS

COUNTY

TESTING

ROCKLAND

COUNTY

TESTING

WESTCHESTER

COUNTY

TESTING

NEW YORK CITY

TESTING

CLASS C

Fish propogation, fishing & water sports.

No swimming allowed.

CLASS A

Drinking water, culinary, swimming,

fish propogation and water sports.

CLASS B

Swimming, water sports,

fish propogation and fishing.

CLASS SB

Swimming, water sports,

fish propogation and fishing.

CLASS I

Water sports, fish propogation and fishing.

No swimming allowed.

HuDSon RIvER WaTER ClaSSIfICaTIon anD TESTIng

= Official Swimming Beach

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RiereeersWter Qit

Std

mEaSuRIng SEWagE ConTamInaTIon

Riverkeeper tests or the sewage-indicating microbe o the genus Enterococcus (Entero).It is the only group o microbes recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

or use as sewage indicators in both salt and resh water - the Hudson River contains salt,

resh and brackish (mixed) water.

Te EPA describes Etero i its testig gidelies as ollows:

Enterococciare commonly ound in the eces o humans and other warm-

blooded animals. The presence oEnterococciin water is an indication o ecal

pollution and the possible presence o (pathogens ound in intestines). xi

We have based our assessment o water quality on the EPA ederal guidelines outlined in the

2000 Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act. xii

[See Federal Guidelines or Enterococcus in Appendix III]

Clockwise rom top let: Sampling water quality rom the Riverkeeper patrol boat, Andy Juhl,

Carol Knudson, Greg OMullan and John Lipscomb

Riverkeeper started the Water Quality Program in 2006, its primary goal testing or sewage contamina-

tion. Other important variables that relate to water quality, such as temperature, salinity, turbidity and

chlorophyll and oxygen concentrations are also measured.

Or Sciece Parters

This project is conducted in collaboration with scientists rom Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty

Earth Observatory and Queens College, City University o New York. Our Co-Principal Investigators,

Gregory OMullan, Ph.D. and Andrew Juhl, Ph.D., contribute their expertise in environmental microbiol-

ogy and oceanography to the project. They developed our testing protocol and oversee our eld sampling,

environmental sensor measurements and microbiological analyses.x


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In 2006 and 2007 Riverkeeper sampled sites rom NY Harbor to Peekskill. In 2008 we expanded the

study north to Troy. We now sample at 75 set locations, once a month, rom May through October.

The Riverkeeper patrol boat, R. Ian Fletcher, is equipped with a mobile lab that allows us to collect,process and incubate the samples onboard.

Our sites all into our categories near-shore, mid-channel, tributaries, and wastewater treatment

plant outalls.

[See Appendix IV or a list o our regular sampling sites with descriptions. In addition to the sites

listed, we conduct exploratory sampling at a variety o locations to investigate specic events and

problem areas.] xiii

Figre 4: Riverkeepers 75 Standard Sampling Sites

= 75 standard sampling sites = County lines = the Hudson River watershed

RIVERkEEPERSWATER QuALITyTESTInG SITES

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Shri Dt with the pbic

To distribute our water quality data to the public we have created an online database at

www.riverkeeper.org/water-quality/locations that is updated within days o our monthly sampling

patrols. We also publish a monthly Water Quality Report based on each sampling patrol that is

available as an e-letter. In addition to online publishing, we oer live presentations about our water

quality ndings that have been given at conerences, at community events and to agencies involved

in water quality management.

A sampling site page rom Riverkeepers online water quality database: www.riverkeeper.org/water-quality/locations

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Riverkeeper has processed more than 2,000 water quality samples rom the Hudson River since 2006.Based on that number o samples, and the expert analyses o our science partners, we are now able

to start identiying patterns o sewage contamination in the Hudson River. Although we have ound

evidence o sewage contamination at every one o our 75 testing locations, the levels o contamination

vary enormously over time and by location.

Overall our 75 sampling sites had unacceptable water quality 21% o the times that we tested, which is

equivalent to 1 days a week on average.

SeweCtiti

i theHds Rier

Clockwise rom top let: Combined Sewer Overlow (CSO) in Troy, loatables and sewage in the Hudson,

Combined Sewer Overlow (CSO) in New York City, Separate Sewer Overlow (SSO) at the Nyack waterront

WaTER QualITy aSSESSmEnT

Riverkeepers water quality assessment is based on EPA guidelines or sae swimming.

accetbe samples meet the EPA single sample guideline.uccetbesamples ail the EPA single sample guideline.pssibe Rissamples meet the EPA single sample guideline but i

sustained over time they would ail the EPA geometric

mean guideline.


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Unortunately there were 10 other sites that had unacceptable counts 50%, or more, o the times

we sampled.

Each group contains sites rom dierent regions o the Hudson. Some o the cleanest sites we

ound are surprisingly near some o the most contaminated sites, such as the Tarrytown Marina

and Irvington Beach.

10 WoRST loCaTIonS

with unacceptable Entero counts at least 50% o the times sampled 06-10

Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn - 50%

Newtown Creek, Metropolitan Ave. Bridge, Brooklyn - 53%

Sparkill Creek, Sparkill - 86%

Sewage Treatment Plant Outalls at Piermont - 50%

Piermont Pier, Piermont - 50%

*Tarrytown Marina, Tarrytown - 56%

Newburgh Launch Ramp, Newburgh - 50%

Kingston Wastewater Sewage Treatment Plant Outall, Kingston - 50%

*Island Creek/Normans Kill, Glenmont - 65%

Dunn Memorial Bridge, Albany - 50%

*These sites were added to the study in 2008 and thereore have a smaller number o samples

(we sampled Tarrytown Marina 9 times and Island Creek/Normans Kill 17).

7 BEST loCaTIonS

with unacceptable Entero counts 0% o the times sampled 06-10

Dyckman Street, Manhattan

Yonkers Wastewater Treatment Plant Outall, Yonkers

Irvington Beach, Irvington

Croton Point Beach, Croton-on-Hudson

Emeline Beach, Haverstraw

Fort Montgomery, Highlands

Poughkeepsie Drinking Water Intake, Poughkeepsie

Through 2006-2010, there were 7 sites where we never collected an unacceptable sample.

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Figre 6: Tappan Zee Bay Sampling Sites

Sewe Icts are lcized

One o our most signicant ndings is the high variability o water quality throughout the estuary.

At locations within a quarter mile o each other, we ound very dierent levels o sewage contamination

on the same day. In most o the river, weve ound sites that are requently acceptable as well as sitesthat fuctuate between acceptable and unacceptable. Usually the poor water quality at one site is not

evident at other nearby sites.

Take or example the Tappan Zee Bay

water between the shores o Rockland

and Westchester County. On a wet

day in October 2010, the Entero counts

in and along the Bay varied rom an

acceptable low o less than 10/100 ml

to an unacceptable high o greater than

24,200/100 ml (the upper limit o our

testing ability or a dilution sample).xiv

That day the highly contaminated water

on the eastern shore in the Tarrytown

Marina was not aecting the Tappan Zee

mid-channel site only one mile away,

or Kingsland Point Park, one mile to

the north. The Irvington Beach site, 2.5

miles to the south was also acceptable.

The sewage contamination we ound at

the Nyack Launch Ramp on the western

shoreline was also localized, while

Piermont Pier, 3.5 miles south o

Nyack, was acceptable.

Table 2: Highly Variable by Location, Example, Tappan Zee Bay

nac

Lac Ramp

Tappa Zee

mid-caelkigsladPoit Par

Tarrtow

Maria

Irvigto Beac

STP Otall

at PiermotSparill

Cree

Piermot Pier

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Figre 7 Poughkeepsie Area Sampling SitesWide and deep sections o the river, like

Tappan Zee Bay and NY Harbor, have

greater dilution and mixing or clearing

up sewage hot spots. However, even in

locations where the river is narrower we

still see sewage contamination tending

to stay localized at the shoreline.

For example around Poughkeepsie

on the same October 2010 patrol, the

Entero count went rom a low o 7/100

ml to a high o 2420/100 ml (the upper

limit o our testing ability or an un-

diluted sample xv) within a nine mile

stretch o river.

These examples and others like themshow that the Hudsons sewage contam-

ination is typically a local problem. The

good news it that once these sources are

identied, they can oten be remedied

with local solutions.

Communities that invest in clean

water can produce direct water quality

improvements.

RiverMile SiteName SampleDateEnterococcus

CountQuality

66.5 WappingersCreek October15,2010 22 Acceptable

68 MarlboroLanding October15,2010 >2420 Unacceptable

75Poughkeepsie

LaunchRampOctober15,2010 78 Unacceptable

77

Poughkeepsie

DrinkingWater

Intake

October15,2010 7 Acceptable

Table 3: Highly Variable by Location, Example, Poughkeepsie Area

Pogeepsie

Driig Water Itae

Pogeepsie

Lac Ramp

Marlboro Ladig

Wappigers Cee

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34%

25%

24%

16%

9%

15%

11%

7%

57%

60%

65%

77%

Tributaries

STPOu.alls

Near-shore

Mid-channel

TypesofSamplingSites

Unacceptable PossibleRisk Acceptable

Figre 8: Percent Acceptable by Type o Sampling Site

Ctiti Is Hihest t the Shreie d ner Tribtries

To better understand patterns o sewage contamination we have grouped our sampling sites into our

location categories:

1) Mid-channel sites

2) Near-shore sites

3) Tributaries (sites where a stream, creek or brook joins the Hudson) xvi

4) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) outalls.

When we view the percent o unacceptable samples by type o location we nd the mid-channel sites

were the least contaminated category. This isnt surprising given that the sources o sewage are typically

at the shorelines. The mid-channel also tends to be the deepest and astest moving part o the river so

dilution, mixing and the sel-fushing power o our tidal river have the greatest impact here.

Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) outalls, where the partially treated wastewater rom the plant enters

the river, are on average more requently unacceptable than the ull system. But this doesnt tell the ull

story because we get a wide variety o results at the STP outalls where we test. Some o the outalls, like

ones at Kingston and the combined Orangetown and South Rockland County STP outalls at Piermont

Pier, have a lot o variability in test results, ranging rom acceptable single digit Entero counts to highs

exceeding the upper limit o our testing system.

Other plants, like Yonkers and 125th Street in Manhattan, have consistently low Entero counts at their

outalls however the inrastructure that eeds these and other plants oten ails to get the sewage to the

plant, especially during wet weather. Combined Sewer Overfows (CSOs), Sanitary Sewer Overfows

(SSOs) and inrastructure breaks are some other ways in which sewage treatment plants ail to properly

treat the sewage in their systems.

[You can read more about our sewer inrastructure in the What Now section.]

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Figre 9: Tributary Sampling Sites

55%

12%

34%

8%

10%

9%

37%

78%

57%

WETONLY:

DRYONLY:

COMBINEDWET+DRY

TributarySites

U nacceptable Possible Risk Acceptable

Figre 10: Wet Weather Impact on Tributary Water Quality

Wet weather is classiied as more than 0.25 inches o rain

in the three days prior to sampling.

Water quality at the near-shore sites is not

as good as mid-channel or as the ull sys-

tem. This is because the shoreline is where

the people are and where the sewage

typically enters the river. As mentioned

earlier, we nd acceptable water quality at

many o these sites a vast majority o the

time and at some sites every time we have

sampled. However, some o these sites are

very heavily sewage laden at times and

others have a consistent low-level sewage

signal whenever we test. You can see the

variable near-shore ndings in Figure 2

and on the Regional Maps.

The unexpected bad news is the high re-

quency o sewage contamination entering

the Hudson rom our tributaries (tribs).

Our study contains 15 standard tributary

sites; most are located at the mouth o the

trib where the tributary fow enters the

main stem o the Hudson.

These tributary sites were unacceptable

34% o the times we sampled, or the

equivalent o 2 days a week on average.

We have ound that some streams and

brooks in our communities can be chronic

sources o sewage contamination meaningthat they are a source o sewage contami-

nation or the shoreline and the river no

matter what the weather. When it rains,

even more sewage enters the Hudson rom

tributaries. Our study ound a ourold

increase in the requency o unacceptable

samples at our tributary sites ater wet

weather.

TRIBuTARIES OF ThE huDSOn

WhERE WE SAMPLE:

Gowas Caal Brooklyn

newtow Cree Dutch Kills Brooklynnewtow Cree Metropolitan Ave. Bridge

Brooklyn

Pocatico River Kingsland Point Park

Sleepy Hollow

Frace Broo Cortlandt

Cedar Pod Broo Stony PointAesville Cree Peekskill

Rodot Cree Kingston Public Dock Kingston

Rodot Cree Eddyville Anchorage Eddyville

Esops Cree entrance Saugerties

Esops Cree west Saugerties

Catsill Cree launch ramp Catskill

Catsill Cree east end Catskill

Catsill Cree First Bridge Catskill

Islad Cree/normas kill Glenmont

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32%

9%

21%

11%

9%

10%

57%

82%

69%

WETONLY:

DRYONLY:

COMBINEDWET+DRY

HudsonRiverEstuary:75SamplingSites

Figre 11: Impact o rain on percent o unacceptable samples,

averaged across all sites

The pattern we nd is consistent with a recent water quality study in the Albany Pool section o the

Hudson. In that study, ve tributaries were sampled and their water quality rated using a geometric

mean. All ailed to meet the geometric mean guideline in wet weather. In dry weather, three o the

ve ailed, and all had at least one sample that ailed to meet the EPA single sample guideline.xvii

So what is happening in our community streams, brooks and creeks? Individual tributary studies are

needed to answer this question and the answers will likely vary somewhat by waterway and watershed.

Sewage could be entering our local waters rom any number o sources including contaminated ground-

water rom leaking septic systems and chronic leaks rom sewer pipes; illegal sewage hook-ups; or

agricultural sources. In wet weather add to that list contaminated overfowing sewer systems.

[See What are Sanitary Sewer Overfows? on page 21].

The next phase o Riverkeepers Water Quality Study includes looking more closely at contamination

in our tributaries. We are partnering with the public on sewage mini-studies on Sparkill Creek, the

Pocantico River, Esopus Creek, Catskill Creek and Stockport Creek. Our preliminary sampling is

nding some very high Entero counts in wet weather and intermittent high counts in dry weather.

[You can read about our tributary studies in the What Now section.]

Wet Wether Sies:

The Ri Cecti

During and shortly ater rainall

the requency o unacceptable

Entero counts increases in all the

regions and at all the types o sites

where we sample, but not at every

individual location. Overall the

percent o samples that wereunacceptable increased rom 9%

in dry weather to 32% in wet

weather a threeold increase.

There are several sources that

can contribute to rain-related

sewage contamination. One

contributor is contaminated

groundwater entering streams,

brooks and rivers. Another actor

is rain-triggered overfows rom

our sewage inrastructure. Theseoverfows all into two categories -

Combined Sewer Overfows (CSOs),

which happen by design, and

Sanitary Sewer Overfows (SSOs),

which are the result o aulty or

overloaded sewer systems.

Wet weather is classied as more than 0.25 inches o rain


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Figre 12: What Are Combined Sewer Overlows (CSOs)

WHaT aRE ComBInED SEWER ovERfloWS (CSos)?

CSOs are remnants o the countrys early inrastructure. In the past, communities built sewer systems

to collect both stormwater runo and sanitary sewage in the same pipe. During dry weather, these

combined sewer systems transport wastewater directly to the sewage treatment plant. In periods

o rainall or snowmelt, however, the wastewater volume in a combined sewer system can exceed

the capacity o the sewer system or treatment plant. For this reason, combined sewer systems are

designed to overfow occasionally and discharge excess wastewater directly to nearby streams,

rivers, lakes, or estuaries. Combined sewer overfows (CSOs) contain not only stormwater but also

untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, and debris. This is a major water pollution

concern or cities with combined sewer systems. CSOs are among the major sources responsible or

beach closings, shellshing restrictions, and other water body impairments.

- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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Figre 13: What Are Sanitary Sewer Overlows (SSOs)

WHaT aRE SanITaRy SEWER ovERfloWS (SSos)?

Properly designed, operated, and maintained sanitary sewer systems are meant to collect and

transport all o the sewage that fows into them to a publicly owned treatment works (STP). However,

occasional unintentional discharges o raw sewage rom municipal sanitary sewers occur in almost

every system. These types o discharges are called sanitary sewer overfows. SSOs have a variety

o causes, including but not limited to blockages, line breaks, sewer deects that allow storm water

and groundwater to overload the system, lapses in sewer system operation and maintenance, power

ailures, inadequate sewer design and vandalism.

- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Together these rain-triggered overfows dump tens o billions o gallons o combined sewage and

stormwater into the Hudson River each year. In some communities, like New York City, as little as

inch o rain can trigger an overfow.

RIvERkEEpER


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Table 4: Variable Over Time: Wet Weather Examples

Figre 14: Catskill Launch Ramp and Catskill CreekWter Qit C vr gret

t Sie lcti

Weve ound many examples o locations that

have a high variability in sewage contaminationdue to wet weather.

One example is the Catskill Launch Ramp

located just north o Catskill Creek. The water

quality there varies rom acceptable single digit

Entero counts to highs in the hundreds, with

one exceeding 2,420/100 ml.xviii

When you view the sewage contamination

spikes at this site along with the more requently

contaminated Catskill Creek you can see that

when it rains the Creek brings contaminated

water into the Hudson and as a result waterquality at the launch ramp fuctuates greatly.

CatskillCreekEastEnd CatskillLaunchRamp

SampleDateCumula8veRain

3daysprior(in.)EnteroCount WaterQuality EnteroCount WaterQuality

22-May-08 0.19 15 Acceptable 1 Acceptable

18-Jun-08 1.07 12 Acceptable 9 Acceptable

17-Jul-08 0.11 3 Acceptable 6 Acceptable

9-Aug-08 1.48 197 Unacceptable 23 Acceptable

16-Sep-08 0.34 1 Acceptable 4 Acceptable

23-Oct-08 0.23 10 Acceptable 4 Acceptable


12-Jun-09 1.15 387 Unacceptable 29 Acceptable

31-Jul-09 1.88 1986 Unacceptable >2420 Unacceptable

24-Aug-09 2.78 >2420 Unacceptable 488 Unacceptable

17-Sep-09 0 14 Acceptable 16 Acceptable

23-Oct-09 0 12 Acceptable 3 Acceptable

25-May-10 0 4 Acceptable 2 Acceptable

18-Jun-10 0.25 261 Unacceptable 6 Acceptable


21-Aug-10 0.21 51 PossibleRisk 8 Acceptable

23-Aug-10 0.48 >2420 Unacceptable 435 Unacceptable


16-Oct-10 1.28 1986 Unacceptable 192 Unacceptable

Catsill Cree

First Bridge Catsill Cree

Lac Ramp

Catsill Cree

East Ed

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There are also sites where we nd highly variable water quality thats not connected solely with

wet weather.

The Newburgh Launch Ramp, another popular spot or public access, is located next to a CSO pipe

and a ew hundred yards south o a sewage treatment plant outall. This site has single digit, and thusacceptable counts, but there are still many counts in the hundreds, and even one greater than 2420

count. There are unacceptable samples on dry days and acceptable ones on wet. Across the river in the

Beacon Harbor we nd better water quality overall (lower high counts and ewer o them) but still rain

is not the only actor.

Table 5: Variable Over Time: Dry Weather Examples

NewburghLaunchRamp BeaconHarbor

SampleDate Cumula9veRain3daysprior(in.)

EnteroCount

WaterQuality EnteroCount

WaterQuality


17-Jun-08 1 41 PossibleRisk 17 Acceptable


6-Aug-08 0.28 27 Acceptable 4 Acceptable


22-Oct-08 0.02 19 Acceptable 22 Acceptable


9-Jun-09 0.93 1046 Unacceptable 104 Unacceptable

30-Jul-09 0.54 225 Unacceptable 12 Acceptable



16-Sep-09 0.01 36 PossibleRisk 23 Acceptable

21-Oct-09 0.18 184 Unacceptable 107 Unacceptable

23-May-10 0 41 PossibleRisk 7 Acceptable

17-Jun-10 0.02 225 Unacceptable 50 PossibleRisk

20-Jul-10 0.03 1300 Unacceptable 28 Acceptable

19-Aug-10 0.96 328 Unacceptable 48 PossibleRisk


14-Oct-10 0.34 326 Unacceptable 56 PossibleRisk

15-Oct-10 1.45 >2420 Unacceptable 816 Unacceptable

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fr Rei views

For a regional perspective we have divided our sampling sites into our geographic groups New York

City, Westchester-Rockland, Bear Mountain to Catskill and the Albany Region. All our regions suer

rom intermittent sewage contamination but to varying degrees.

The northernmost and southernmost regions, each dened by a major waterront city, had lower water

quality overall compared with the predominantly suburban and rural areas in between. However it may

surprise some to see New York City, with 8 million residents, achieving better water quality than the

Albany region which has closer to 1 million. Read A Tale o Two Cities on page 30 to get a better

understanding o the actors infuencing these results.

It was also unexpected to nd the more densely populated Westchester and Rockland County region

had lower sewage contamination levels than the more sparsely populated region to the north that spans

rom Bear Mountain Bridge to Catskill. Based on our preliminary ndings we believe this dierence

may be attributed to the higher number o tributaries in the Bear Mountain-Catskill region. Our study

ndings indicate that these tribs increase contamination at the near-shore sites in their vicinity including

high spikes in wet weather.

When we view the data categorized as wet weather and dry weather samples, the picture or each

region becomes clearer. Its important to note that all regions include some older towns and cities with

combined sewer systems and CSOs however the volume o combined stormwater and sewage that each

releases varies greatly.

New York City has the best water quality in dry weather o all our regions but sewage contamination

increases veold when it rains. It has a big CSO problem 480 CSO pipes discharging 27 billion gal-

lons o combined sewage and stormwater into its surrounding waters each year.

Bear Mountain-Catskill region has a surprisingly similar weather-to-sewage pattern to NYC. It has a

rain problem too, but its cannot be blamed on a giant CSO system.

36%

20%

15%

21%

12%

7%

10%

11%

52%

73%

75%

68%

AlbanyRegion

BearMountain-Catskill

Westchester-Rockland

NewYorkCity

RegionsoftheHudsonRiverEstuary

U na cc ep ta bl e P os si bl e Ri sk A cc ep ta bl e

Figre 15: Findings by Region: Percent Acceptable,

Possible Risk and Unacceptable

Westchester-Rockland has the

lowest variability between dry

and wet weather conditions o

all the regions with a doubling

o unacceptable water quality

counts ollowing wet weather.

This relatively low wet weather

spike accounts or Westchester-

Rockland having the best over-

all percent acceptable 75%.

But there is also a lot o vari-

ability in this region. Remember

it is home to 4 o the best sites in

our study and 3 o the worst.

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30%

6%

21%

15%

6%

11%

56%

88%

68%

WETONLY:

DRYONLY:

COMBINEDWET+DRY

NewYorkCityRegion

22%

10%

15%

9%

11%

10%

70%

79%

75%

WETONLY:

DRYONLY:

COMBINEDWET+DRY

Westchester-RocklandRegion

31%

9%

20%

8%

7%

7%

61%

84%

73%

WETONLY:

DRYONLY:

COMBINEDWET+DRY

BearMountaintoCatskillRegion

56%

12%

36%

14%

10%

12%

30%

78%

52%

WETONLY:

DRYONLY:

COMBINEDWET+DRY

AlbanyRegion

Figre 16: Weather Impacts by Region

RIvERkEEpER

Wet weather is classied as more than 0.25 inches o rain



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- 26 -

1413

12

10

11

9

8

7

6

4

5

3

2

1

15

SITE NAME PERCENTAGES MAX. COUNT MIN. COUN


50

13

13

39

53

20

10

5

13

34

11

28

13

14

11

7

10

8

8

7

10

15

26

14

7

7

34

26

39

80

77

53

39

73

80

80

87

40

75

66

80

52

74 79


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44

6

50

53

86

56

7

15

23

10

3

10

24

4

4

10

9

16

9

5

16

12

5

11

2

5

26

14

7

10

10

7

21

5

91

41

85

95

34

35

9

33

90

80

52

76

93

87

80

100

69

96

75

85

SITE NAME PERCENTAGES MAX. COUNT MIN. COUNT

365


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57

58

59

60 61

5556

54

53

4950

51

5248

4746

45

44

43

42

4140

39

38

37

36


>2420 1

>2420 1

>2420 1

>2420 1

1986 2

>2420 2420 2

>2420 2420 2420 1

>2420 6

>2420 4

147


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74

71

69

68

67

66

65

63

73

72

70

64

62

75



>2420 2420 8

>2420 4

>2420 7

>2420 3

>2420 6

>2420 2

1120 1

770 1

770 2420 1

>2420 5

>2420 4

75. Hudson above Mohawk River

74. Mohawk River

73. Hudson River above Troy Lock

72. Congress Street Bridge

71. Albany Rowing Dock

70. Dunn Memorial Bridge

69. Island Creek/Normans Kill

68. Bethlehem Launch Ramp

67. Castleton, Vlockie Kill

66. Coeymans Landing

65. Coxsackie Waterfront Park

64. Gays Point midchannel

63. Athens STP Outfall

62. Hudson Landing Ramp 32

41

22

24

22

35

28

65

50

44

35

47

41

18

6

6

12

11

6

20

28

30

21

18

6

68

53

78

71

78

53

61

29

30

28

35

32

41

76

Rei 4: ab Rei

(Hudson Launch Ramp to the Mohawk River)

Max. Count = the highest Enterococcus count we recorded at this site 08 10

Min. Count = the lowest Enterococcuscount we recorded at this site 08 10

- 29 -


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The Capital District at the northern end o

our study is a dierent story. The Capital

District includes the city o Albany and parts

o Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady and

Albany Counties. This area has 92 CSOs that

dump an estimated 1.2 billion gallons o

combined sewage and wastewater into the

Hudson each year. xxi That mix is entering a

narrower and shallower section o the Hudson

River, without the volume and mixing benets

o close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean that

NYC enjoys.

Another important dierence between Albany

and NYC is that the three sewage treatment

plants serving the Capital District do not use

disinection. So in the Capital District the rain-

triggered CSOs provide a spike o contamination

on top o a chronically sewage-laden section

o the estuary.

The Clean Water Act requires disinection

at sewage treatment plants (STPs), but by issuing

special permits (called SPDES), New York

State has allowed Albany to stay out o compli-

ance or almost 40 years. The lack o disinection

at the STPs is one reason Albanys water quality in

all weather is worse than New York City though

the latter is a giant metropolis with ar greater

sewage and CSO volumes.

In recent years the New York State DEC

nally required the Capital District to develop

a Long Term Control Plan or its CSOs. The plan

currently under development includes adding

seasonal disinection at the three sewage treatment

plants in this region a step in the right direction

or water quality in the Capital District.

Rowing in Albany

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Wht nw?Iri or

Wter Qit

Clockwise rom top let: Beautiul day at the beach in Sleepy Hollow, citizens investigating a sewage overlow in

the Saw Mill River, summer un at the Palisades Boat Club, swimming up north near Castleton

freqet mitri d ntiicti

New Yorkers are getting into the Hudson River with increasing requency each year however only our

counties on the river, plus NYC, test Hudson River water quality. O those testing, only the NYC DEP

publishes their water quality data, which is included in the annual New York Harbor Water Quality

Report, typically released one to two years ater collection. The report shows patterns in water qualityusing geometric means but does not share the single sample data that allows the variability o sites to

be easily evaluated. xxii

When you ask the people swimming at the many access points along the river i the water is sae or swimming

you will oten hear I it wasnt sae they wouldnt let us swim in it. Getting in the water based on this

alse assumption is putting the public at risk o contracting any number o waterborne illnesses, some with

serious long-term health consequences.

People who enjoy swimming in the Hudson River deserve the same protection rom their local Department

o Health as their neighbors swimming in the Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. On these water-

ronts there is regular water quality testing and beaches are closed when the water quality ails to meet the

EPA guideline or sae swimming, or is expected to ail based on historical data and modeling.


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The popular unoicial beach at Little Stony Point

Predictive Models Provide

Real-Time Water Qalit Reportig

The best practices in water quality monitoring

include requent testing in all weather condi-tions ollowed by timely public notication

o the results.

Once a sucient number o samples has

been collected at a location, in combination

with measurements o other environmental

conditions, a water quality model can be

developed that enables real-time predictions

o water quality conditions. This is important

because the standard tests or sewage

contamination require an incubation o 24

hours beore results are available. The use

o a model allows or predictive, rather

than reactive, public notication and water

quality management.

A good predictive model can take into

account the actors that impact water quality

at a given location such as the correlation

between rainall and sewage/pathogen

levels, the fow rates and water quality o

nearby tributaries, turbidity and algae to

name a ew. Combining these actors with

historic water quality data, and checking the predictions against real time samples, would enable our

government agencies to protect public health and close our beaches when the swimming conditions arenot acceptable.

Predictive water quality models or the Hudson would not be unusual; there are many examples o

communities that provide timely water quality inormation to the public this way. For example the

Philly Rivercast system reports water quality on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia in real time via

a website www.phillyrivercast.org/. New York State is already using predictive models to manage

beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and the Long Island Sound.

The Capital District is considering creating a predictive model or water quality in the Albany Pool

section o the Hudson using the water quality data gathered during the development o a CSO Long

Term Control Plan. Assuming that the water quality will be published online or real time use by the

public, this would be the rst system o its kind on the Hudson River Estuary. We hope more will

ollow covering all the locations where the public is getting into and enjoying the water.

A Sigle Sample Stadard Mst Be Adopted o te hdso

Currently New York State evaluates Hudson River water quality using an average called a geometric

mean. This approach to averaging greatly reduces the infuence o extremes (very high microbial

counts and very low microbial counts). While a geometric mean is a useul estimator o long term

changes to water quality, it does not accurately refect the extreme spikes o sewage contamination that

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Wstewter Irstrctre urdes

Addressig te Sorce o te Problem

The early gains in water quality that were achieved in the 1970s ater the passage o the Clean Water

Act (CWA) are now at risk o being lost because our ederal, state and local governments have not

continued to maintain and update our wastewater inrastructure. Nationwide sewage contamination

in our waterways is on the rise.xxiv

New York State ranks Aging and Inadequate Wastewater Inrastructure as issue #2 on its Top

10 Water Quality Issues in New York list, right ater Urban Stormwater Runo. The related

inrastructure issue o ailing sewage treatment systems on personal property, such as septic systems,

is also on the list - #10 Inadequate Onsite Wastewater Treatment.xxv

According to the DECs own report, Wastewater Inrastructure Needs o New York, many waste-

water acilities in NY are past their expected useul lives and maintenance and upgrades at these

acilities is lagging ar behind where they need to be to keep up with increasing demand. Statewide

more than 30% o the systems are in excess o 60 years old, while they were designed to last 30 to 40

years. xxvi The report goes on to make the case or how important a ully unctioning wastewater

inrastructure is and calls or unding solutions to this worsening problem:

The importance o modern, reliable, and ecient wastewater treatment systems is sel-evident.

The health o our communities, the protection o our waterbodies, and the prospects or uture

economic growth and development, are linked to our ability to maintain, and as necessary,

upgrade these acilities. As described in this report, however, aged systems are ailing, and

municipalities do not have the unds to adequately repair and replace the necessary inrastruc-

ture. There is no disputing that the cost o ensuring proper wastewater treatment is larger than

what local governments and the state can address on their own. Clearly, there is a compelling

need or a sustainable wastewater inrastructure unding program, yet no mechanism presently

exists or that unding, and the ederal government has largely turned its back on the needs o

the states and local governments or this purpose.

New York State DEC Inrastructure Workgroup

are also critically important to track. As average water quality improves, it is the episodic spikes, like

those ollowing rainall and CSOs that are most important to consider in protecting public health.

This is why the EPA single sample standard or acceptable water quality is recommended or use at

recreation waters nationwide and should be employed on the Hudson River Estuary. EPA considers thesingle sample maximum level to be especially important or beaches and other recreation waters that

are inrequently monitored or prone to short-term spikes in bacteria concentrations, e.g., water that

may be aected by combined sewer overfow outalls. xxiii

Riverkeeper urges New York State to adopt the EPA recommended single sample standard or the

Hudson River in addition to the geometric mean standard and to support county-level high requency

testing and public notication o water quality at locations where the public is getting into the river.

RIvERkEEpER


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Sewage Overfowig

at Or Rivertows

The decline in ederal unding or inrastructure

upgrades has impacted waterways in every stateacross the nation. However when you compare

the Hudson River to other locations you get a

sense o just how overloaded our local wastewa-

ter system is. For example, in 2010 Westchester

County alone dumped more sewage into the

Hudson River as a result o inrastructure ail-

ures than the entire state o Caliornia dumped

into the Pacic Ocean that year rom similar

breaks. Westchesters system dumped upwards

o 19.5 million gallons o raw and partially

treated sewage into its rivertown waterronts

in 2010. Caliornias combined municipal sewersystems dumped less than 15 million gallons

as a result o inrastructure ailures.xxvii

Some o the discharge pipes where sewage spills

occur are situated in newly revitalized waterront

parks, beaches, kayak launches and marinas.

For example in Sleepy Hollow millions o

gallons o sewage fowed rom a pipe near a

Orangetown and South Rockland sewer districts pipe

overlowing during rain (an SSO)

kayak launch at the newly renovated waterront park at Horans Landing in 2010. At the Newburgh

Launch Ramp sewage overfows are commonplace. There are many other examples o overfows rom

ailing inrastructure diverting raw sewage to our community waterronts. Its an unwelcome vestige

o the industrial past o our waterronts.

Law Eorcemet ad Pblic Egagemet

In New York State we have yet to muster the political will to use the Clean Water Act to its ull eect

as an enorcement tool. That law has the stated goals o achieving swimmable and shable rivers that

are ree o pollution discharges by 1985 across the country. In New York, through good economic times

and bad, we have continued to issue thousands o permits allowing businesses and municipalities to

continue discharging pollutants into our waters.

According to the New York Times 2010 series Toxic Waters on our ailure as a nation to comply with

the Clean Water Act, there were 10 sewage treatment plants on the Hudson River that had been out o

compliance with the CWA or more than three years at the time o publishing (Red Hook, Newtown

Creek, Yonkers, Ossining, New Windsor, Beacon, Poughkeepsie, Hudson, Rensselaer, Waterord).This sad state o aairs will not change until the public and our elected ocials call on the NYS DEC

to ully enorce the laws that regulate our wastewater systems, requiring private and municipal plants

to come into compliance with the CWA.

New York needs a well-unded DEC with public and political support to enorce the Clean Water Act

and other regulations that protect our shared waters. New housing and business development should

not be allowed in communities where the local wastewater inrastructure is unable to handle the new or

HoW IS THE WaTER?


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existing demands. Our state and ederal governments need to provide unding mechanisms or renewed

investment in our wastewater inrastructure. Laws governing the installation and maintenance o

private septic systems must be enacted and enorced.

pbic ntiicti d Sewe Riht t kw lws

The key to turning the tide o sewage contamination in the Hudson and elsewhere is public awareness.

I the public doesnt know that sewage is still being discharged into our rivers and streams, nothing will

be done to stem the fow. And i we dont know about sewage releases planned, accidental or chronic

were unable to make an inormed decision about where and when we get in the water.

More than 20 states have already passed Sewage Right to Know (SRtK) laws that require timely

public notication o sewage contamination in public waterways. New York is not one o those states.

Some o the Sewage Right to Know laws in other states only address accidental releases rom inra-

structure ailures and planned releases or inrastructure repairs. In New York State Riverkeeper

has proposed a SRtK law that will address both o those, as well as the wet weather releases caused by

CSOs, and public notication at sites that suer rom chronic sewage contamination. Currently, ithere is a release o raw sewage into the Hudson, no matter how large or how close it is to a recreation

site, there is no state law requiring public notication.

In October 2010 a main break caused an estimated 4.4 million gallons o raw sewage to fow into

the Hudson rom a pipe in the Saw Mill River at Yonkers. While that sewage was fowing groups o

students rom the Yonkers High School were in the water at the Yonkers waterront, less than mile

rom the discharge pipe, participating in the DECs annual River Day event. State, county and city o-

cials all knew about the hazardous sewage in the water but the parents o the students and the teach-

ers responsible or their saety were unaware. They were deprived o the acts they needed to make an

inormed decision on behal o their students health and saety that day.

Two years prior, in October 2008, Westchester County issued a press advisory about a planned release

o approximately 2 million gallons o sewage connected to a repair at a pump station in Yonkers. That

advisory was well broadcast and the public took real notice. Riverkeeper sampled the water quality

in the area the night beore, the morning and aternoon on the day o the release, and then again the

ollowing morning. Those tests ound Entero counts above the ederal standard, so it was good that

Westchester issued the warning. However, almost 50% o our water quality samples at the Yonkers

waterront between 2006 and 2009 had cell counts equal to, or higher than, those measured during

the planned release. So i the planned release merited a warning to the public, why not the chronic

unplanned ones?

I we warn sometimes we should warn all the time because the public has a right to assume that i we

warn them once, well warn them again when its needed. They airly assume that i there is no warning

posted then no warning is needed, but in act that is not the case.

We have to start using the inormation we have at our disposal today to begin warning the public o

all sewage discharges into the Hudson and other waterways that the public has primary contact with.

This is what we have come to expect with storm warnings, ozone warnings, trac alerts, boil water

alerts and even pollen warnings. The systems are in place to get inormation to the public when

needed, lets add water quality to that list o expected inormation.

RIvERkEEpER


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Water Coservatio

Individuals, towns and businesses can urther reduce the pressure on their sewer system by reducing

water use. Ater all its not only sewage that fows through our wastewater treatment plants, its also

the water rom our sinks, showers and in some instances our storm drains and basement sump pumps.Individuals and businesses need to be educated on the importance o water conservation even in non-

drought situations, improve their water usage habits and implement long-term solutions such as low

fow sinks and toilets and grey water systems.

Septic Field Maiteace

According to the NYS DEC about 25% o New York businesses and residents use onsite sewage treat-

ment systems such as septic tanks and elds. xxviii When installed and maintained properly they are an

eective and economical wastewater treatment system. However improper installation, the overuse o

small systems, an increase in the density o systems, and the widespread lack o proper maintenance has

turned these systems into a signicant water quality problem, earning them a place on the DECs Top

10 Water Quality Issues in NYS list. xxix

Based on the high sewage contamination we have ound coming rom our tributaries, we believe that

overloaded septic elds could be one o the culprits. Many people install these systems and then orget

them, not knowing or perhaps not caring when they overload and start to contaminate groundwater

and surace water with sewage.

Currently New York State lacks the laws needed to require the inspection and maintenance o private

septic systems. As a result counties are starting to address the problem with county regulations such as

the pump out rule that Westchester County put into eect in March 2011. More counties need to ollow

suit and all businesses and homeowners who have septic systems need to do the right thing and conduct

regular maintenance.

Joi Rivereeper ad Spport te Water Qalit Program

Achieving and maintaining clean water in todays world requires measurement, notication, smart

planning and investing, good water use habits and vigilance. Riverkeeper is committed to continuing

our Water Quality Study on the Hudson and expanding our eorts to engage the many capable water

quality advocates in our communities, and recruiting more to their ranks.

We encourage you to join this movement!

Riverkeeper

20 Secor Road

Ossining, NY 10562

[email protected]

1-800-21-RIVER

www.riverkeeper.org

RIvERkEEpER


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- 40 -

aedix I: Wterbre Iesses d H Heth

Most waterborne disease-causing microorganisms come rom human and animal ecal waste. A small drop o

ecal matter can contain millions o microorganisms o many types, some o which are disease-causing pathogens.

Exposure to the microbial pathogens ound in sewage can lead to short-term and chronic illnesses. xxx

The most common types o waterborne illnesses are short-term gastrointestinal inections that cause stomach-

aches and/or diarrhea. The elderly, children, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems

are at greater risk o contracting chronic illnesses rom sewage-contaminated water.

A survey by the Center or Disease Control reported over 4,000 documented illnesses rom recreational waters in

the U.S. in 2005-2006. xxxi However this number is assumed to be low because waterborne illnesses are notoriously

underreported. People oten associate the most common ailments, stomach and digestive system problems, with

what they ate or lunch instead o contact with water. Still, reports o illness resulting rom swimming are on the rise.

TyPE AGEnT ACuTE EFFECTS ChROnIC OR uLTIMATE EFFECTS

Bacteria E. coli O157:H7 Diarrhea Adults: death (thrombocytopenia)

Legionella pneumoniae Fever, pneumonia Elderly: death

Helicobacter pylori Gastritis Ulcers and stomach cancer

Vibrio cholerae Diarrhea Death

Vibrio vulnifcus Skin & tissue inection Death in those with liver disorders or problems

Campylobacter Diarrhea Death: Guillain-Barr syndrome

Salmonella Diarrhea Reactive arthritis

Yersinia Diarrhea Reactive arthritis

Shigella Diarrhea Reactive arthritis

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) Diarrhea Potential cancer

and their toxins

Leptospirosis Fever, headache, chills, Weils Disease, death (not common)

muscle aches, vomiting

Aeromonas hydrophila Diarrhea

Parasites Giardia lamblia Diarrhea Failure to thrive, Severe hypothyroidism,Lactose intolerance, Chronic joint pain

Cryptosporidium Diarrhea Death in immune-compromised host

Toxoplasma gondii Newborn syndrome, Hearing and vision Dementia and/or seizures

loss, Mental retardation, Diarrhea

Acanthamoeba Eye inections

Microsporidia, Diarrhea

(Enterocytozoon & Septata)

Viruses Hepatitis viruses Liver inection Liver ailure

Adenoviruses Eye inections, diarrhea

Caliciviruses, small round Diarrhea

structured viruses, Norwalk virus

Coxsackieviruses Encephalitis, Aseptic meningitis Heart disease (Myocarditis), reactive insulin-

Diarrhea, Respiratory disease dependent diabetes

Echoviruses Aseptic meningitis

APPENDIX

Sorce: Centers or Disease Control and Prevention. Emerging Inectious Diseases, vol. 3, no. 4, Oct-Dec 1997.


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aedix II: other ptts i the Hds Rier

Sewage is just one o the pollutants ound in the Hudson River Estuary. As the pollutant most requently

linked to waterborne illnesses it is the ocus o Riverkeepers Water Quality Program and Swimmable

River Campaign.

Other pollutants ound in the Hudson include PCBs, radioactive contaminants such as tritium and

strontium-90, nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, heavy metals and a variety o toxins. Some

o the toxins in the Hudson come rom our wastewater treatment plants, which also treat water rom

industrial acilities and actories in river communities. Other toxins come rom our bodies and homes,

via wastewater. These are the byproducts o the medicines, beauty care products, household cleaners,

disinectants, insecticides and other products we use, many o which are not eciently removed with

current wastewater treatment technology and thereore end up in the river.

Our water quality study, and this report, address only microbial sewage pollution.

aedix III: feder gideies r Etercccs

We have based our assessment o water quality on the EPA ederal guidelines outlined in the 2000 Beaches

Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act. Unacceptable water is based on an illness

rate o 19 or more illnesses per 1,000 swimmers in salt water, and 8 or more illnesses per 1,000 swimmers in

resh water. The concentration oEnterococci(the Entero count) has been correlated to the occurrence

o swimming related illnesses. The EPA reports Enterococcus counts as colonies (or viable cells) per 100 ml

o water. xxxii

There are two standards or water quality in the waters we sample, one or salt or brackish water andone or reshwater.

Marie Waters

For saltwater the ederal standard or unacceptable water quality is a single sample value o greater than

104 Enterococcus cells/100 ml, or ve or more samples with a geometric mean (a weighted average) greater

than 35 Enterococcus cells/100 ml. We apply this standard to our sampling sites rom NY Harbor in the

south up to and including Peekskill (northern Westchester and Rockland County) in the north.

Fres Waters

For reshwater the ederal standard is a single water sample with a value o greater than 61 Enterococcus

cells/100 ml, or ve or more samples with a geometric mean greater than 33 Enterococcus cells/100 ml. We

apply this standard to our sampling sites rom Fort Montgomery north to Waterord.

APPENDIX


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aedix Iv: Riereeer Si Site Descritis

River Mile Name Description

155.1 Hudson above Mohawk River The Hudson River, above the lock at Troy, is no longer part o the

estuary. This site has boating, kayaking, recreational and subsistence

shing, and occasional swimming.

155 Mohawk River This site is below the last Erie Canal lock. It has boating, kayaking,

subsistence and recreational shing rom boats and the shore. There is

also occasional swimming.

152.5 Hudson River above Troy Lock This site has boating, kayaking and shing. The Waterord drinking

water intake is in the vicinity.

151.5 Congress Street Bridge This site has boating and kayaking as well as recreational and subsis-

tence shing rom boats and shore.

146 Albany Rowing Dock At the Albany Rowing Dock, there is water contact rom kayaking,

team rowing, recreational boating and shing.144.5 Dunn Memorial Bridge In the heart o the port o Albany, contact includes kayaking, team

rowing, and swimming rom recreational boats. The site also has sh-

ing rom shore and rom boats.

142 Island Creek/Normans Kill The two creeks enter the Hudson at this sampling site. There are no

acilities, but there is recreational boating and some kayaking through

the industrial portion o the Port o Albany.

138 Bethlehem Launch Ramp The Bethlehem Launch Ramp has kayaking, recreational boating, and

shing rom boat and shore.

137 Castleton, Vlockie Kill Near the mouth o Vlockie Kill this site has recreational

boating, kayaking and shing rom vessels and the shore.

133 Coeymans Landing This sampling site is at a village park that has a shing pier,

a marina, and a launch ramp or kayaks.

124 Coxsackie Waterront Park The park at Coxsackie has an unocial beach, a launch ramp and a

shing area. Kayaking, recreational boating, and casual water contact

occur here.

122.5 Gays Point mid-channel A state park with camping, recreational boating and swimming is di-

rectly east o this sample site. It is a relatively undeveloped portion o the

estuary.

117 Athens STP Outall The Athens Sewage Treatment Plant Outall is in close

proximity to the village waterront, which has recreational boating

rom small marinas, kayaking, and shing.

116.5 Hudson Launch Ramp The launch ramp and boat club at Hudson host kayaking,

shing and recreational boating. There is swimming in the area.

113.2 Catskill Creek, First Bridge Near the rst bridge over the Catskill Creek, there are marinas, recre-

ational boat trac, kayaking and shing. There is

swimming in the vicinity.

113.1 Catskill Creek, East End Near the entrance o the Catskill Creek, this sampling site has recre-

ational boating, kayaking, shing, and swimming.

113 Catskill Launch Ramp The Launch Ramp at Catskill has kayaking, casual water contact rom

recreational boats, and shing.

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108.5 Inbocht Bay This sampling site has recreational boating, kayaking, and shing.

103 Malden Launch Ramp There is a sewage treatment plant outall near this public launch ramp,

which has kayaking, shing, and casual water contact rom recreation-

al boats and jet skis.

102.1 Esopus Creek West This site has boating, kayaking, occasional swimming and shing. There

is a sewage treatment plant outall nearby to the west.

102 Esopus Creek Entrance Just in rom the lighthouse, there is kayaking, boating, and

occasional swimming and shing.

99 Tivoli Landing There is an unocial kayak launch rom the rocky shore, as well as

boating and shing.

97 Ulster Landing Beach This ocial beach has water contact rom swimming and

kayaking, as well as some shing in the vicinity.

92.3 Eddyville Anchorage This site in Rondout Creek is heavily used or boating, kayaking, rat-

ing, swimming and shing.

92.2 Kingston Public Dock The town docks o Kingston and West Strand Park host a marina,

recreational boating, shing and kayaking on Rondout Creek. There is

a combined sewer overfow (CSO) at the site.

92.1 Kingston STP Outall The sewage treatment plant discharges into Rondout Creek at Kings-

ton. Rondout Creek is heavily used or boating, tubing, team rowing,

kayaking and shing.

92 Kingston Point Beach This ocial beach has swimming, shing rom the shoreline, kayaking

and recreational boating in the vicinity.

88 Port Ewen drinking water intake The drinking water intake at Port Ewen is used by a number o com-

munities. Use o the area includes shing rom boats and rom shore,

boating, kayaking and swimming.

85 Norrie Point Yacht Basin The yacht basin is located at the mouth o a small tributary. There is

boating, kayaking and shing.

84.5 Norrie Point mid-channel This deep-water site has boating, kayaking and shing.

77 Poughkeepsie drinking water intake This area has boating, kayaking, team rowing, and shing.

75 Poughkeepsie Launch Ramp This site has a launch ramp, boating, kayaking, shing, and some

swimming rom boats.

68 Marlboro Landing The landing at Marlboro has a marina, as well as kayaking, shing,

and swimming rom boats. There is a tributary in close proximity.

66.5 Wappingers Creek This sample site has swimming rom recreational boats, kayaking andshing.

61 Beacon Harbor The Beacon Harbor sampling site has recreational boating, kayaking,

and shing. There is a seasonal public river pool to the north, and a

storm drain overfow in the vicinity.

60 Newburgh Launch Ramp This area is heavily used or boating, kayaking and jet skis, with team

rowing and shing in the vicinity. Next to the ramp is a combined

sewer overfow (CSO) and a ew hundred yards south is a sewage

treatment plant outall.

APPENDIX


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54 Little Stony Point At Little Stony Point there is an unocial swimming beach, as well

as recreational boating, kayaking, and shing.

53.5 Cold Spring Harbor The town docks o Cold Spring host a shing pier, a yacht club, and a

village waterront where shing, kayaking, and recreational boating are

all sources o human contact with the water.

52.5 West Point STP Outall This area is used or boating, kayaking, team rowing and shing.

46 Fort Montgomery This site has recreational boat trac, shing and kayaking. A small

sewage treatment plant discharges here as well.

44 Annesville Creek Annesville Creek is a tributary near Peekskill that is popular with kayakers.

43 Peekskill Riverront Green Park At this site there is a launch ramp, boating, kayaking and shing.

Swimming at the beach nearby is prohibited but casual contact with

the water has been observed.

40.5 Stony Point mid-channel This deep-water sampling site has boating, kayaking and shing.

40 Cedar Pond Brook Cedar Pond Brook is a tributary that has boating, kayaking and shing.

39 Emeline Beach Swimming at the beach at Emeline Park is prohibited, yet casual con-

tact with the water has been observed. The site has shore-based shing,

kayaking and recreational boating.

38 Furnace Brook The Hudson, o Furnace Brook, has recreational and subsistence

shing, as well has kayaking, and swimming rom recreational boats.

35.5 Haverstraw Bay mid-channel Near the ship channel in Haverstraw Bay, this deep-water sampling site

has recreational boating and shing.

35 Croton Point Beach Croton Point Park has a designated public swimming beach, operated

by Westchester County. There is also a high volume o recreational

boats, kayaking and shing.

34 Ossining Beach Swimming at Ossining beach is prohibited, yet casual contact with the

water has been observed. The beach is immediately north o a sewage treat-ment plant outall. There is shing, boating and kayaking at this site.

28.1 Nyack Launch Ramp This public launch ramp is adjacent to a waterront park, village

marina and private boat club. There is boating, kayaking, windsurng

and jet skiing, as well as shing and some swimming.

28 Kingsland Pt., Pocantico River This beach, located at a public park in Sleepy Hollow, was once a pub-

lic swimming beach and the bathhouse remains however swimming is

now prohibited. A small private boat club and ocial swimming beach

are approximately 400 yards north o the sample site. Site uses include

boating, kayaking, shing.

27.5 Tappan Zee Bridge mid-channel This deep-water site at the Tappan Zee Bridge has boating, kayaking

and shing.

27 Tarrytown Marina This large marina has boating and shing.

26.5 Upper Sparkill Creek At this tributary there is canoeing, kayaking and shing.

26.1 Piermont Pier Piermont Pier is used heavily or recreational and subsistence shing

and crabbing. There is also boating and kayaking.

26 Piermont STP Outall There are two sewage treatment plant outalls at this sampling site. Use

includes boating, kayaking and shing.

APPENDIX


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25.9 Irvington Beach This beach is located between a boat club and a village park. The site

has kayaking, casual water contact, recreational boating and shing.

Theres a combined sewer outfow (CSO) approximately 100 yards to

the south.

18.5 Yonkers mid-channel This deep-water site has boating and shing.

18.4 Saw Mill River The Saw Mill River enters the Hudson at Yonkers. There is boating,

kayaking, recreational and subsistence shing in this area.

17.5 Yonkers STP Outall This wastewater treatment plant treats sewage rom much o Westchester

County. The area has boating, kayaking and shing.

14 Dyckman St. Beach The sample site at Inwood Hill Park has shing, kayaking, team rowing,

recreational boating and casual water contact at the beach. There is a

combined sewer overfow (CSO) under the pier at this site.

12.1 Harlem River, Wash. Ave. Bridge The Harlem River at the Washington Avenue Bridge is an industrial

waterway connecting the Hudson with the East River. Contact include

recreational boating and jet skiing, kayaking, as well as recreationaland subsistence shing rom the shore. There is increasing activity

rom community and college crew teams.

12 GW Bridge mid-channel This deep-water sample site at the George Washington Bridge has

recreational boating, jet-skiing, kayaking and occasional swim events.

8.1 Harlem River, Willis Ave. Bridge The Harlem River at the Willis Avenue Bridge is an industrial water-

way, connecting the Hudson with the East River. Contact includes

recreational boating and jet skiing, kayaking, as well as recreational

and subsistence shing rom the shore.

8 125th St. STP Outall The Hudson in the vicinity o this wastewater treatment plant has

recreational boating, kayaking and shing.

7.9 125th St. Pier The Pier at 125th St. is a new access point or recreational and sub-

sistence shing. There is a New York City combined sewer overfow(CSO) immediately to the south.

7 79th St. mid-channel This deep-water sample site o 79th St. has recreational boating and

occasional swim events.

6 Pier 96 Kayak Launch The Kayak Launch at Pier 96 is in the vicinity o New York City

combined sewer overfows (CSOs).

4.7 Castle Point, NJ This sample site is located at the HRECOS research buoy o the

Stevens Institute o Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.

4 East River at Roosevelt Island This site has boating, shing, kayaking and occasional swim events.

2.7 Newtown Creek, Metro. Bridge Newtown Creek at the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge is an industrial

waterway and a tributary o the East River.

2.6 Newtown Creek, Dutch Kills Newtown Creek at Dutch Kills is a tributary where subsistence shing,as well as increasing kayak activity has been observed.

2.5 East River mid-channel 23rd St. The deep-water sampling site around 23rd St. has mostly transitory

boat trac.

0.1 The Battery mid-channel The deep-water sample site at Battery Park has recreational boat trac,

as well as some kayaking and occasional swim events.

-1 Gowanus Canal The Gowanus Canal is an industrial waterway with limited dockage or

recreational boats, and some kayaking and canoeing.

APPENDIX


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Edtes

i We have based our assessment o acceptable water quality on the ederal guidelines outlined in the

2000 Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act. There are two ederal

standards or water quality in the waters we sample, one or salt water and one or reshwater. SeeAppendix III or EPA guidelines.

ii Dorman, M. and K.S. Rosselot. Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation

Beaches, Natural Resources Deense Council, New York, NY, 2010, p. 5.

iii Lawler, Matusky & Shelly Engineers, The Hudson Group, Swimming in the Hudson River Estu-

ary: Feasibility Report on Potential Sites, Hudson River Estuary Program, New York State De-

partment o Environmental Conservation, 2005, p. 16. http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5452.html

iv Dorman, M., and K.S. Rosselot, p. 9.

v Ibid.

vi

Hewes, W., and K. Baer. Whats In Your Water? The State o Public Notication in 11 U.S. States,American Rivers, Washington D.C., 2007, p. 7. http://www.americanrivers.org/assets/pds/reports-

and-publications/arswg-all-8_16_07_opta842.pd

vii NYC Green Inrastructure Plan: A Sustainable Strategy For Clean Waterways, Department o

Environmental Protection, New York, NY, 2010, p. 8. http://home2.nyc.gov/html/dep/pd/

green_inrastructure/NYCGreenInrastructurePlan_HighRes.pd

viii Riverkeeper survey o county water quality testing in the Hudson River Estuary, 2010.

ix New York Harbor water quality reports are available online http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/

news/hwqs.shtml

x For more inormation on our science partners visit http://www.riverkeeper.org/water-quality/

hudson/our-partners/

xi Method 1600: Enterococciin Water by Membrane Filtration Using membrane-Enterococcus Indox-

yl-$-D-Glucoside Agar (mEI), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington D.C., 2002, p. 1.

xii Riverkeeper characterizes our water quality samples into three categories: acceptable, unacceptable

and possible risk. Acceptable: meets EPA single sample guideline or sae swimming. Unaccept-

able: ails EPA single single sample guideline or sae swimming. Possible risk: meets single sample

guideline, but would ail geometric mean guideline i sustained over time.

xiii We have shore-based sites where we collect samples at higher requency (e.g. Sparkill Creek). Since

the sampling dates and requency or the shore-based stations dier rom the monthly patrol boat

sampling, these sites have been excluded rom regional analyses. However, data rom these sites is

available on the project website www.riverkeeper.org/water-quality/locations

xiv 24,200 is the maximum Ent

Documents

River Keeper Report on Hudson River Sewage